Sunday, September 11, 2011

It's Hard To Believe Its Been Ten Years.

It's hard to believe that its been ten years since the attacks of 9-11.

We have all grown a bit older, a little wiser, but I believe that we all still feel that there is some kind of unfinished business here.

As much as we like to say that we have all moved on, that we have let it go, some how I can't, and I know that some how you can't either. Maybe its our proximity to New York City and to Washington DC, maybe its because that you may have known someone who perished that day. Whatever the reason, whenever we see movies, documentaries, images of the day, a photograph, we are moved in a very profound way.

So today, we pause and reflect on that terrible day. Our minds travel back to a different time, the economy was roaring, American exceptionalism was unchallenged throughout the world, and we were content with the lives that we built.

Then, a flash of light, an explosion, and our world was turned upside down.

We remember the heroes of the day, the little acts of courage and compassion that Americans are so good at. We remember the first responders and their incredible sense of duty and their bravery in their response to the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and we know that they gave all, and then just a little bit more.

The sense of community that our country experienced after the attacks was inspiring.

Then we look at today. Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, you have to recognize that we have work to do in America. 9-11 should serve to focus us and we should use this event to rededicate ourselves to what is right in this great land of ours, and fixing what is wrong.

America is, and will always be a great place. The place where dreams can still come true. The place where random acts of kindness still happen. Let's not forget that.

Maybe we will always feel this way. I don't necessarily think that's such a bad thing. It gives us a mission, a purpose if you will, to address the challenges of the new world.

So today, take a moment to remember and reflect on the lives lost on 9-11, the public servants who gave everything that day and the victims at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in the planes.

Then take a moment to reflect on how special this place called the United States of America is.